Secrets of a Suffering Artist
by FLASOK
Summary: “So what did you draw?” she asked trying to peek, but he jerked it away and flipped it over. “Nothing.” he lied, resting his palms over it defensively. He couldn’t show her his embarrassing drawing unless he wanted to be completely mortified. R&R! PLZ.


**A/N- Remember that deformed owl that I mentioned in my last chapter for my Kataang AU One-shots? The one in Sneaking Out? Yeah. XDDDD**

**I thought, that must have been a great moment. Then I really wanted to write about it and so here I am. Writing about deformed owls. XDDDD I'm such a loser. I'm proud of it too. I'm a fanfiction addicted, Aang obsessing, Iron Man: Armored Adventures watching, loser. Ask anybody. LOLZ**

**Aang's last name is Wiater. Wiater means wind or something. Cool last name huh?**

**WARNING- This fanfiction is random. Not so much in content, but it was just a random idea. XDDD**

**Without further ado, I present the story. R&R! PLZUMZ!**

Secrets of a Suffering Artist

_When will this end?_ Aang thought as the teacher droned on about something. He'd caught the words 'nuclear' and 'fusion', but that was about it. The rest of his mind was focused elsewhere, like on the painting he was working on for Katara. He was almost finished and he was dying to get back to the bakery and break out his paints.

Katara had almost caught him when he came into school one day with a streak of blue paint on his face, the result of late night painting, but he'd managed to cover it up. At least he hadn't fallen asleep on his paints like the one time he was sitting up late at night trying to add the details to Katara's shirt which proved to be difficult if you're tired. There had been paint in his hair and all along the side of his face. He'd even gotten some his mouth. It turned out acrylic paint was NOT tasty.

"MR. WIATER! Sit up and tell me what I just said." the teacher demanded. Aang immediately sat up from his slouch at the sound of her shill voice.

"Uh…" he said stupidly and stole a glance at the clock. Two more minutes of class. "Class is over in two minutes?" he offered, hunching his shoulders guiltily, knowing that was probably the wrong answer.

The teacher scowled at him making him sink lower in his chair.

"Well, yes, that is what I said, but I was referring to the lesson Mr. Wiater. Pay attention next time." she snapped before turning to face the board once again.

"Yes ma'am ." he mumbled, pulling the short rim of his arrow hat father down his forehead in embarrassment. He heard a few snickers and looked up to see it was Zuko and Sokka. Jerks. And yet, they were still his friends.

Thankfully, the bell rung and he was out of there before everyone else.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"I want you all to draw an animal today." the art teacher ordered from the front of the classroom. Half the class groaned with reluctance. The artists were already drawing feverishly, some mumbling to themselves because that was a habit of most artists. Aang was the only one of the artist classification that wasn't drawing. He'd been hiding his drawing skills for the entire year just so Katara would be completely surprised when he showed her his painting even if it was a pain in the neck to do. He'd started to get the hang of drawing like he'd never held a drawing pencil before, but he still didn't like it. At least it didn't hurt his art grade.

"What should I draw, Aang?" Katara asked from beside him. Aang snapped out of his thoughts and turned his gaze to her. She was resting her head on her hand, propped up by her elbow, obviously deep in thought. The contemplative pout told him that. He shrugged in response.

"I dunno. A whale? You know, like the one that's on your welcome mat?" he suggested. Katara perked up at the idea and held her pencil at the ready.

"Great idea!" she exclaimed, starting her picture enthusiastically while Aang began to think about what he wanted to draw. He liked birds, and they were fun to draw, especially the feathers. He could easily draw one, but he had to keep everything as secretive as possible which meant he had to draw like a kindergartener.

He put his pencil in his left hand, the one he didn't usually write with, and started to draw an owl or his attempt at one while using his opposite hand. It was frustrating to draw with his left. He had to be slow and careful so he could make it look like something recognizable, but doing that made his hand cramp. His lines were wiggly and out of place, sometimes not connecting with the lines they were supposed to. His eraser was taking the toll as he erased his numerous mistakes until he'd used it all up. It turned out he was finished anyway, or as finished as it was ever going to get, so he tossed his eraser-less, stub of a pencil in the trash can next to him.

"So, how does it look?" Katara asked, holding up her paper for him to see. She'd drawn her whale and it actually looked just like the one on her welcome mat. She'd even added shading to it. Upon seeing her work, Aang considered teaching Katara how to paint. Maybe not the detailed things that he liked to do, but something more simple and cartoony like her whale.

"It looks just like the original." he complemented with a smile. Katara giggled at the comment.

"Thanks. You really think so?" she asked, scrutinizing it carefully, looking for imaginary flaws.

"Yeah! It looks great." he reassured her. Katara twirled her hair around her finger smiling shyly.

"So what did you draw?" she asked trying to peek at his owl, but he jerked it away and flipped it over.

"Nothing." he lied, resting his palms over it defensively. Katara raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"Nothing is something. Now show me." she commanded, reaching out to snatch it. Aang held it behind his back where she couldn't get it.

"I'm not finished." he insisted.

"Yes you are, you were done before me!" she reminded him with a laugh. _Dang it, _Aang thought in his head, gritting his teeth at her sharp memory.

"I'm still not showing you." he told her. Katara pouted and gave him big eyes.

"Please, Aang? For me?" she pleaded in a mock sad voice. Aang bit his lower lip nervously, thinking of a way he could avoid that intentional minefield. He couldn't just tell her _no._ That wouldn't end well. He couldn't tell her yes either because then she'd laugh at his deformed owl; time to go with plan c.

"Katara, you're bribing me." he accused.

"Extortion, actually." she corrected, her pouty face still in place. Aang's eyebrows came together in confusion.

"What? Katara, that isn't extortion." he insisted. Katara would've grinned in amusement, but she was determined to shatter his will power.

"I consider this torture." she explained. "Now will you show me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please."

"I think not."

"Give me the paper, Aang."

"…Fine." he agreed reluctantly, handing her the paper and sliding down in his seat.

Katara looked at the picture and saw why he hadn't wanted to show her. It was a badly drawn owl with one of its wings bent awkwardly. One of its eyes was shaped funny and its beak was crooked and off center. She willed herself not to laugh and turned to Aang with the straightest face she could muster.

"It's not that bad…so you're not an artist. You've got plenty of other talents. Besides, I love you whether you can draw or not." she reassured touching his cheek.

"You give me more credit than I deserve. Not that bad?" he said with a chuckle, pointing at the owl.

"So modest." she commented, handing him back his paper which he folded up and stuffed in his pocket.

"Pfft. You think calling that _thing_ the most awful drawing on the planet is being modest?" he asked incredulously. Katara laughed and slid her hand over his.

"Believe me. I've seen worse. You should see _Sokka's _owl." she said. That made them both burst out laughing, until Sokka yelled from across the room,

"I heard that!"

**A/N- Oh that Sokka. XDDDD For some reason, I like that ending. LOL I like the title too. Poor Aang, he really is a suffering artist. **

**So yeah, this was written for fun. It's not intended to be taken seriously. XDDD I hope you all enjoyed that. **

**This is actually based on real life experiences I've had with drawing. Katara represents me in the story as well as all the other artists around the room. I really do mumble when I draw. XDDD Aang is the person at the art table who is hopeless at drawing, excluding the whole thing about the fact that he can draw. **

**ZOMG! The grey button! I'd get a restraining order filed on it if I didn't love that fact that it was there so much. Now make me happy and press it. PRESS EET! Pwease? :3 *blinks innocently* **


End file.
